Performance of consistent through-thickness electric potential distribution for Euler-Bernoulli piezoelectric beam finite elements
by Litesh N. Sulbhewar; P. Raveendranath
International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology (IJCAET), Vol. 9, No. 2, 2017

Abstract: An accurate piezoelectric beam finite element analysis essentially requires appropriate assumptions of the field variables involved in the formulation. The conventional Euler-Bernoulli piezoelectric beam finite elements assume an independent linear through-thickness distribution of electric potential in a physical piezoelectric layer which is actually nonlinear due to induced potential effects. Here, a consistent through-thickness potential distribution in a physical piezoelectric layer derived from the electrostatic equilibrium equation is tested for its accuracy against the linear assumption. This consistent potential field contains, in addition to the conventional linear terms, a higher order term coupled with bending strain. Thus, this finite element, though employing higher order potential, does not increase the number of nodal electrical degrees of freedom. It is shown that the performance of the present formulation with consistent through-thickness potential is insensitive to the geometric configuration and material properties of the beam cross-section, unlike the conventional formulations.

Online publication date: Mon, 27-Mar-2017

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology (IJCAET):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com